No. 5 Eagles, No. 7 Bulldogs To Face Off In Division Leaders Matchup

- This week's game will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM 1340, with David Wilson handling the play-by-play and Don Graham providing the commentary. The game can be heard at WNCOAM.com, and also can be accessed on the scoreboard page on the home page of the AU athletics web site, GoAshlandEagles.com.

- A live stream of the game, produced by Ferris State, can be found on the scoreboard page on the home page of the AU athletics Web site, as well.

- Saturday's game will be broadcast live on American Sports Network. Check local listings.

- AU head coach Lee Owens will do a weekly appearance on WRDL's "Early Bird's Word," every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

It's a game that football fans in Ashland, Ohio, and Big Rapids, Mich., have been waiting roughly 10 months for.

On Saturday at 3:30 p.m., No. 5-ranked Ashland University will travel to Big Rapids to take on No. 7-ranked Ferris State. The game features the two 2015 co-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, as well as a pair of 2015 NCAA Division II postseason qualifiers.

Ashland and Ferris State did not play each other last season.

So far in 2016, the Eagles are 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC, and lead the South Division by a game over second-place Tiffin, while the Bulldogs are 3-0, 3-0, and are tied for the North Division lead with Grand Valley State.

"It's not a week where you have to worry about a lot of hype, because it takes care of itself," Owens said. "You want to make sure you don't get too fired up, save some energy for 60 minutes. It's going to be a tough, physical game.

"There should be a great atmosphere there."

Saturday's game is a matchup of two of the GLIAC's top four offenses in terms of yards per game (Ashland second, 552.3 and Ferris State fourth, 465.3), and two of the GLIAC's top three defenses in yards allowed per contest (Ferris State second, 276.7 and Ashland third, 284.3).

ASHLAND PLAYERS TO WATCH

Junior quarterback Travis Tarnowski is completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 826 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions...Freshman tailback Keishaun Sims has rushed for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an 8.2-yard average...Junior tight end Adam Shaheen has caught 18 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns...Senior inside linebacker Zach Olszewski leads the Eagles with 26 total tackles...Junior defensive end Austin Utter has four sacks, one pass breakup, three quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble...Junior kicker Aidan Simenc is 14-for-14 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals.

Defense Rising As Eagles Start 3-0

It's easy to focus on an offense that averages 39.7 points and 552.3 yards per game.

But as far as the Ashland University football team is concerned, the defense has more than done its part, as well.

Through the first three games of the 2016 season, the Eagle defense is first in the GLIAC in scoring defense (9.3 ppg.), and third in total defense (284.3 ypg.), passing defense (165.0 ypg.) and rushing defense (119.3 ypg.).

Ashland's "D" also has collected eight sacks, 22 tackles for loss, one interception and three fumble recoveries.

Owens started talking about the defense by giving credit to defensive coordinator Tim Rose.

"We're very fortunate to have a coach like that," Owens said. "We're running to the ball better than any defensive team I've coached in recent memory. We've got a lot of guys that are around the ball every snap."

How impressive is Ashland allowing just 28 points in the first games of the season? Not only is it the first time in 19 years the Eagles have allowed less than 10 points in at least two of the first three games of a season, but those 28 points yielded are the fewest by an AU defense since the 1991 team allowed a total of 24 to its first three opponents.

Tarnowski, now 21-3 as a starting quarterback at Ashland, is off to a hot start, completing 65.3 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. His streak of consecutive passes without throwing an interception is up to 141, dating back to the end of 2015, and his 101 passes without a pick in 2016 are fourth-highest in NCAA Division II.

The following is a comparison of the three-game starts for each of Tarnowski's three seasons as an Eagle:

SEASON

ATT.

CMP.

%

YARDS

TD

INT

RATING

2016

101

66

65.3

826

8

0

160.18

2015

90

56

62.2

821

6

3

154.18

2014

79

49

62.0

657

6

0

156.95

Tarnowski is the third Eagle quarterback to throw for more than 6,000 career passing yards (6,114), and trails only Billy Cundiff (9,143) and current AU wide receivers coach Taylor Housewright (7,259). He also is just the third Ashland QB to pass for at least 50 career touchdowns (54), trailing only Cundiff (79) and Housewright (71).

Sims Gets More Playing Time, Is Making His Mark

It hasn't taken long for Sims to switch the conversation from being Ashland's first Ohio Mr. Football to being one of the top rookie running backs in the country.

Sims has worked his way into more playing time each week - both due to production and an injury to Settlemire. The results are impressive:

DATE

OPPONENT

ATT

YDS

Y/A

LNG

TD

9/1

Mercyhurst

4

44

11.0

32

0

9/10

Wayne State

10

102

10.2

50

2

9/17

Findlay

17

109

6.4

31

0

Sims is the first Eagle freshman to run for at least 100 yards in a game since Settlemire racked up 141 yards on Nov. 9, 2013 at home against Tiffin.

"His ability to see the hole, and it doesn't have to be a very big hole," Owens said, "and then to burst through that hole and stay on his feet and always have a forward lean and always finish going forward is pretty unique.

"And when he gets rolling, he's fast. There's times when it looks like he's shot out of a cannon. It's been a nice option to have with Vance being hurt."

Where the GLIAC is concerned, Sims is third in the conference in yards per carry (8.2) and seventh in total rushing yards (255).

Then, there are Sims' national rankings. First, a look at where he ranks among all freshmen at all levels of the NCAA in yards per carry:

Sims also ranks third in Division II in total rushing yards for a freshman. His 255 yards would lead FBS freshmen.

Eagles Enjoy Ranked Status

Since 2006, the Eagles are 30-14 (.682) as an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 team. Since the start of the 2014 campaign, Ashland is 15-2 (.882) when playing as a ranked team.

All-time as a ranked team against the Bulldogs, Ashland is 2-1 – a 25-24 loss at home on Sept. 6, 2008; a 44-23 road win on Sept. 5, 2009 and a 47-32 road victory on Sept. 15, 2012.

Bernhard Earns Good Works Team Spot

Ashland University senior linebacker Zach Bernhard was one of 24 college football players and one honorary head coach named on Sept. 15 to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football.

Bernhard is a member of the 25th anniversary Good Works Team by virtue of his leadership, character and academic standing. He sported a 3.61 cumulative grade-point average in Biochemistry as an undergrad, is the President of AU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been involved in several community service/volunteer endeavors.

"It's one of the highest, most prestigious honors a college football player can receive," said Owens, the 2016 AFCA President. "I don't know how you sell a better story for your school and your athletic program than to have a young man on that team.

"I'm so proud of Zach, and so happy for his family. It's a great tribute to that entire family and to our community."

On the field, as a backup linebacker and special teamer, Bernhard has three solo tackles and a sack through the first three games of 2016, and in each of the past two seasons, he made 15 total stops.

With the Good Works Team revealed, fans are encouraged to visit ESPN.com/Allstate to vote for the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Captain through Nov. 23, 2016. The Team Captain will be honored at the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

The 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a community project before the 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl, where the team will be recognized at halftime.

The Eagles' Oh So Sweet Home

The 2016 season is the eighth for the Eagles at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field, and to say they enjoy playing on Broad Street is an understatement.

Ashland is 34-8 (.810) at home since 2009, and has won 14 straight regular-season contests at "The Jack."

SEASON

W-L

SEASON

W-L

2009

3-2

2013

3-2

2010

5-1

2014

5-0

2011

4-1

2015

5-1

2012

6-1

2016

3-0

AU Heads Back Out On The Road…Finally

And while Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field has been cozy confines for the Eagles, the road hasn't been unkind since 2009, either (23-14):

SEASON

W-L

SEASON

W-L

2009

3-3

2013

2-3

2010

3-2

2014

3-2

2011

2-4

2015

5-0

2012

5-0

The Eagles may have to re-learn how to react to playing away from home, since the game at FSU will be Ashland's first road contest since a 41-40 win at Northern Michigan on Oct. 24, 2015 - or 336 days between away dates.

Turnover Margin Not In Eagles' Favor So Far

Ashland is 3-0 despite having a season turnover margin of minus-1, putting the Eagles in a tie for 92nd in all of Division II. The Eagles have lost five fumbles in the first three games of 2016, already the program's highest single-season mark since 2013 (eight).

The following is a look at the Eagles' 2016 "competitiveness chart" - the measure of how long a team leads, is tied and trails in a game:

DATE

OPPONENT

TIME AHEAD

TIME TIED

TIME BEHIND

9/1

MERCYHURST

53:31

6:29

0:00

9/10

WAYNE STATE

27:12

3:36

29:12

9/17

FINDLAY

33:05

13:50

13:05

AU Coaches To Join AFCA's Coach To Cure MD

For the ninth year in a row, college football coaches nationwide will join together in support of the Coach To Cure MD program, which will be during games of September 24 - and Ashland University's coaches will participate.

The annual effort has raised more than a $1.2 million to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne).

On the weekend of September 24, AFCA members will wear a Coach To Cure MD logo patch on the sidelines, and college football fans will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest, most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne. Many of those games will recognize a local Duchenne family on the field before or during the game.

Football fans can help support the fight to end Duchenne by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org, or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).